Section 514 - Coordinated Veterans Assistance Fund; establishment; reportThe Coordinated Veterans Assistance Fund, referred to in this section as "the fund," is established to provide financial assistance to veterans' service organizations. Beginning July 1, 2013 the director shall make distributions from the fund as follows: [2013, c. 128, §3(NEW).]
1.Transportation for medical needs of veterans. Fifteen thousand dollars annually to a veterans' service organization that has maintained for the previous 5 years consecutively as of January 1, 2013 a program of providing transportation to veterans receiving medical services at the Veterans Administration Hospital at Togus or outreach centers of the veterans hospital; [2013, c. 128, §3(NEW).]
2.Veteran service officers at veterans hospital. Sixty-four thousand five hundred dollars annually to each veterans' service organization that has funded and maintained a veteran service officer at the Veterans Administration Hospital at Togus for at least one year as of January 1, 2013. If revenues in the fund are insufficient to make the full amount of the distributions required by this subsection, the director shall divide the amount of available funds equally between the veterans' service organizations; and [2013, c. 569, §6(AMD).]
3.Other veterans programs. The remainder of the funds, distributed by the director after payment of any fees applied by the State for administration of the fund, as follows: A. Sixty-eight percent to the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery System Care Fund established by section 512, subsection 1; [2013, c. 128, §3(NEW).]B. Twenty percent to organizations that coordinate an annual event to benefit homeless veterans by providing warm clothing and personal items; and [2013, c. 128, §3(NEW).]C. Twelve percent to purchase flags for graves at veterans' cemeteries. [2013, c. 128, §3(NEW).] [2013, c. 128, §3(NEW).]
Beginning in 2014, the director shall submit a report annually by February 15th regarding the distribution of these funds, including information from organizations that received the funds, to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over veterans affairs. [2013, c. 128, §3(NEW).]
Amended by 2014, c. 569,§ 6, eff. 7/31/2014.Added by 2013, c. 128,§ 3, eff. 5/24/2013.